The invention relates to a method of providing a support on a sheet material member for attaching a component to the member. More particularly, the relates to an improved container with a wire handle and a method of making the same.
The conventional method of attaching a handle to a container (e.g., a one gallon paint can) is to mechanically clinch metal ears to a flat sheet member prior to forming and soldering the side seam of a metal cylinder. After the assembly of the container is completed, a wire handle is inserted into the metal ears located on opposite sides of the container. This method can only be accomplished where the side seam of the container is joined by means of soldering since in the case of welding, for example, the ears would interfere with the welding apparatus. There is a method of applying the ears on a container subsequent to the side seam joining operation of soldering or welding wherein the ears themselves are welded on. However such welding damages the inside coating of the can which is to separate the product from the bare steel of the container. To repair such a coating requires not only that a liquid or powder coat be applied over the damaged coating but also that means be provided, such an oven or the equivalent for curing the coating. Thus, this known method is costly and seldom used.
One attempt to avoid this problem and permit the use of a welding process is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,494,898 wherein the conventional metal ear is replaced by a plastic rivet. The plastic rivet is joined to the metal container by forming up a marginal region of the metal wall around the location of an opening in the container, inserting the plastic rivet in the opening and reforming the marginal region of the metal onto the plastic rivet so that it bites into and seals around the rivet. Corrugations are provided in the marginal region of the sheet metal to prevent folding or wrinkling of the metal during reforming. Two of the plastic rivets serve as pivots for the respective ends of a plastic handle for the can, the ends of the handle having apertures which are looped over the protruding plastic rivets. This known method and arrangement has not been adopted in the United States because it does not permit the use of the conventional wire handles used in the United States and because it requires replacement of the existing apparatus for forming and attaching the wire handles to the container by an apparatus of attaching a plastic handle, in addition to a machine for punching the holes and attaching the rivets. A further limitation or drawback is that the rates of production with the existing equipment to apply plastic handles to such rivets are considerably slower than the rates of production in the United States can manufacturing lines applying the wire handles to the container.
Thus, an object of the invention is to permit the use of a welded container and at the same time the use of conventional equipment for attaching a wire handle as heretofore in use for soldered containers having metal ears.
This and other objects are attained by the container and method of the present invention wherein plastic ear assemblies according to the invention are securely mounted in respective openings provided in the container toward an upper end thereof to seal the opening against leaks from the container through the opening and form ears with respective openings within which the ends of a wire handle are inserted and retained for attaching the ends of the wire handle to the container.
Each plastic ear assembly comprises a plastic plug and a plastic cap. One end of the plug is inserted into an opening in the container during the mounting step. The plug has a flange at its other end for engaging the container about the opening on a first side of the opening. The plastic cap is secured to the one end of the plug on a second side of the opening opposite the first side during the mounting step after the plug has been inserted into the opening of the container.
In the disclosed embodiment one end of the plug which is inserted into the opening in the container is formed with buttress threads thereon for cooperating with complementary threads provided on the cap for securing the cap and plug together against the sheet material of the container about the opening therein during the mounting step. The flanged end of the plug is formed with a central boss or projection and a plurality of spaced recesses arranged concentrically about the projection for cooperation with a tool during the mounting step. The cap has a centrally located hole in an end thereof for forming the opening for receiving the end of the wire handle and also for receiving a projection on a tool during the mounting step. A plurality of spaced recesses located concentrically about the hole in cap are also provided for cooperation with the tool during the mounting step. The flange on the plug is formed with a sealing ring thereon for engaging and sealing against the container about the opening therein to prevent leakage of the paint or other contents from the container. The cap of the plastic ear assembly is in the form of a hollow cylindrical body which is closed at one end except for the hole formed therein for receiving the wire handle end and the hollow cylindrical body is internally threaded for threaded engagement with complementary shaped threads provided on the one end of the plug. When the cap and the plug are threadedly attached to one another on the container during the mounting step they firmly grip the sheet metal of the container from opposing sides to form a stable support for attaching the handle to the container and to form a liquid seal by means of the sealing ring which is pressed against the sheet metal to prevent escape of the liquid such as paint in the container through the cooperating opening. An ear, defined by the protruding configuration of the cap from the container, defines a hollow space for retaining the end of the bail or handle which is inserted into the opening of the cap.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which show, for purposes of illustration only, one preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.